The invention concerns an oil filter assembly, comprising: a housing that has a holding space for a filter element, which can be placed inside the housing and through which oil can radially flow; a supporting tube which supports the filter element when the filter element is inserted, the base of the holding space having an outlet hole and the outlet hole having an outlet valve that is closed when the filter element is inserted, wherein the outlet valve comprises a compensating body that compensates for axial tolerances of the housing and/or of the filter element.
DE 44 08 888 C2 discloses a holding space base having an outlet hole with an outlet valve, which is closed when the filter element is inserted. The outlet valve comprises a compensating body (called operating body in the document) whose outer circumference is guided on the wall of the outlet duct. The compensating body compensates for axial tolerances of the housing and/or the filter element.
The outlet duct guides the compensating body in the axial direction, which enables diversion of forces acting on the compensating body in the transverse direction into the housing via the outlet duct. In particular, when inserting the filter element and screwing on the lid that closes the holding space, the filter element may become entrained by the rotary movement of the lid, thereby exerting transverse forces on the compensating body.
However, with this prior art, the configuration of the outlet valve in the outlet duct can result in accumulation of dirt and contamination in the outlet duct, which can impair the function of the compensating body and the entire outlet valve.
DE 299 20 634 U1, DE 299 22 488 U1 and DE 299 21 168 U1 all disclose a liquid filter having a check valve which is closed, when the filter is inserted, by a combination element which is axially displaceable on the housing or on the outlet of the housing.
This invention has the objective of providing an oil filter assembly that has a comparatively simple structure and ensures reliable functioning of the outlet valve.